Iranian developments

"(SNIP) ... The Ministry of Defence said Type 23 frigate HMS Kent would deploy to the Gulf later this year as part of Operation Kipion, the UK's mission in the region, after days of threats to British shipping. (SNIP) ... The MoD insists that the movements are 'long-planned' and not an escalation, but they come after weeks of tension in the Gulf which heightened further when Britain seized an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar two weeks ago." wrote:

TRex2 wrote:If you read the article, we cannot seem to prove the Iranians grabbed it, but that does seem the most logical explanation. I think we are slowly moving towards the wars described in prophesy, but am slightly confused that that some of the signs seem out of sequence.

Thankfully, it looks like we are moving very slowly towards war, and not rushing headlong into it.  

rick1 wrote:Yea, I saw that the Marines aboard the USS Boxer jammed (not shot down) the drone and then it died. We are now in a place of no return:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-says-u-s-navy-ship-shot-down-iranian-drone-n1031451

"We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else." wrote:

CNN reports two US defense officials said 500 troops will deploy to Prince Sultan Air Base, which the US has eyed as a spot for increased presence because intelligence indicates the desert region would be difficult for Iranian missiles to strike.

The new troops would be in addition to a small number of troops and support personnel already in Saudi Arabia readying a Patriot missile defense battery and a runway. wrote:

ReadyMom wrote:  Hat tip to John West's 'Daily Big Threats' blog:

The US is reportedly preparing to send 500 troops to Saudi Arabia amid friction with Iran
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-will-send-500-troops-to-saudi-arabia-iran-2019-7?r=US&IR=T%27

Iran seized a British-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz Friday and briefly detained a second, marking a fresh escalation of tensions between Tehran and the West.

The U.K.-flagged Stena Impero, which has 23 crew members of Indian, Russian, Latvian and Filipino nationalities aboard, “was approached by unidentified small crafts and a helicopter during transit of the Strait of Hormuz while the vessel was in international waters,” Stena Bulk, the shipping company that owns the vessel, said in a statement. "We are presently unable to contact the vessel which is now heading north towards Iran." wrote:

Drinkthekoolaid wrote:Rumors about upcoming flight suspensions from British airways to the middle East.

Not a good sign. Britian may be preparing action..

TRex2 wrote:

Drinkthekoolaid wrote:Rumors about upcoming flight suspensions from British airways to the middle East.

Not a good sign. Britian may be preparing action..

I am starting to beef up my preps,
but still using 31 Dec 2019 as a goal.

(Hmmmm, beef. Got to get some more of that  )

ReadyMom wrote:

TRex2 wrote:

Drinkthekoolaid wrote:Rumors about upcoming flight suspensions from British airways to the middle East.

Not a good sign. Britian may be preparing action..

I am starting to beef up my preps,
but still using 31 Dec 2019 as a goal.

(Hmmmm, beef. Got to get some more of that  )

Why? What are your concerns for the continental USA? (inquiring mind wants to know!)

“They are really the number one state of terror in the world,” Trump said during a photo-op with Pakistani President Imran Khan in the Oval Office Monday.

Trump added Iran’s actions and lack of respect were making it more difficult for him to negotiate with Tehran.

“They shouldn’t have done that,” he said. “It could go either way.” wrote:

ReadyMom wrote:Why? What are your concerns for the continental USA? (inquiring mind wants to know!)

Dave58 wrote:Is Dec31 just a date your shooting for or is there something you need to share with the rest of the class  

a key pillar of the president’s “Make America Great Again” promise has been to reverse the interventionist legacy of President George W. Bush. “We’re charting a path to stability and peace in the Middle East, because great nations do not want to fight endless wars,” Trump reiterated at his 2020 campaign launch in Orlando last month, wrote:

It’s certainly clear, now, that Iran is willing to take risks in pursuit of ending the US economic siege. Iran is not going to concede, and it’s betting that Trump cannot afford a war. That looks like a smart wager, but one that carries a high risk of miscalculation on either side that could spark a conflagration despite the desire on both sides to avoid one. wrote: wrote: wrote:

Britain has started sending a warship to accompany all British-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a change in policy announced on Thursday after the government previously said it did not have resources to do so.

Tensions have spiked between Iran and Britain since last Friday when Iranian commandos seized a British-flagged tanker in the world’s most important waterway for oil shipments. wrote:

Iran on Sunday condemned as "provocative" a British proposal for a European-led naval mission to escort tankers in the Persian Gulf, amid soaring tensions over the seizure of ships. (SNIP) . . . But Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said a force like that proposed by the UK would only make matters worse. wrote:

Mohsen Rezaei made the remarks on Sunday in a meeting with a Chinese delegation headed by Song Tao, head of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), who arrived in Tehran on Sunday.

In the meeting, Rezaei expressed his appreciation to Song Tao for the good cooperation of China’s ruling party with the Iranian Expediency Council (EC). wrote:

Under the terms of the landmark 2015 nuclear accord, Tehran agreed to repurpose the facility towards research and medicine.

But in the latest escalation over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, told lawmakers on Sunday that it would renege on the commitment, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency. wrote:

TRex2 wrote:ISNA, for those unfamiliar with Islamist global organizations:
https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/organizations/islamic-society-of-north-america-isna/
Based on a mid-1980s investigation, the FBI concluded that the Muslim Brotherhood members who founded U.S.-based groups had risen to “leadership roles within NAIT [North American Islamic Trust] and its related organizations,” including ISNA, “which means they are in a position to direct the activities and support of Muslims in the U.S. for the Islamic Revolution.” Expanding on this, a late-’80s FBI memo said:

“Within the organizational structure of NAIT, there have been numerous groups and individuals identified as being a part of a covert network of revolutionaries who have clearly indicated there (sic) support for the Islamic Revolution as advocated by the Ayatollah Khomeini and his government as well as other fanatical Islamic Shiite fundamentalist leaders in the Middle East. This faction of Muslims have declared war on the United States, Israel and any other country they deem as an enemy of Islam. The common bond between these various organizations is both religious and political with the underlying common goal being to further the holy war (Islamic Jihad).”

Declassified FBI memos indicate that ISNA was identified as a Muslim Brotherhood front as early as 1987.

TRex2 wrote: but I have a copy of their plan. In writing. From their own officers. I got it from the evidence files in a federal money laundering and terror financing trial back in about 2004.

I have it stashed in one of my digital archives.
I'll see if I can find it.

Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned there's a potential for war if Israel joins the maritime coalition in the Persian Gulf.

Last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said they would help the U.S.-led effort to "protect the security of the Persian Gulf."

ReadyMom wrote: Hat Tip to John West's blog 'Daily Big Threats':

Iran warns of war if Israeli warships enter Persian Gulf
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2019/08/12/Iran-warns-of-war-if-Israeli-warships-enter-Persian-Gulf/3061565611152/

Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned there's a potential for war if Israel joins the maritime coalition in the Persian Gulf.

Last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said they would help the U.S.-led effort to "protect the security of the Persian Gulf."

TRex2 wrote: but I have a copy of their plan. In writing. From their own officers. I got it from the evidence files in a federal money laundering and terror financing trial back in about 2004.

I have it stashed in one of my digital archives.
I'll see if I can find it.

Drinkthekoolaid wrote:This is some crazy Intel on the attack on the Saudi oil refinery

https://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/en/news-page/world/u-s-locked-and-loaded-to-proceed-over-saudi-oil-refinery-attack

TRex2 wrote:The Guardian is reporting this as "Iran seized a tanker" as
a measure to stop smuggling.

That seems odd.

Whiteman Air Force Base is located in central Missouri, an area many think of as the Ozarks, a state made famous by its seemingly endless streams.

The 509th Bomb Wing is part of Air Force Global Strike Command as well as the host wing at Whiteman Air Force Base. The bomb wing and its fleet of B-2 Spirit bombers serve as part of the Air Force's conventional and strategic combat force.

The men and women of the wing are capable of flying anywhere around the world from home station and delivering a wide range of precision-guided munitions.

TRex2 wrote:I think DTKA is right, that there will be action taken, this time, although it may be a week before it happens. I doubt it will come out of Whitman (or even Whiteman, not sure why, but even those of us in the AF often called it Whitman) since we have assets in place, already, that can do the job from the Indian Ocean.

I do kinda wonder about this tanker business. It is possible that they actually intercepted a smuggler, but I doubt it. Legitimate reason for apprehending the ship would be if it was carrying Iranian Oil that was supposed to be used in country, but sold on the black market and shipped with the pretense that it came from UAE or Kuwait. Again, I doubt that is what happened.  

For those who wonder what Whiteman is:
https://www.military.com/base-guide/whiteman-air-force-base

Whiteman Air Force Base is located in central Missouri, an area many think of as the Ozarks, a state made famous by its seemingly endless streams.

The 509th Bomb Wing is part of Air Force Global Strike Command as well as the host wing at Whiteman Air Force Base. The bomb wing and its fleet of B-2 Spirit bombers serve as part of the Air Force's conventional and strategic combat force.

The men and women of the wing are capable of flying anywhere around the world from home station and delivering a wide range of precision-guided munitions.

TRex2 wrote:

BTW: Iran is backed by Russia.
If we go to all out war, they will wreck the US.
By comparison, Iraq was a walk in the park.

... (SNIP) Iranian officials - including the president, the foreign minister and others - have unanimously voiced their objection to any talks with the US - be it in a bilateral or a multilateral setting," the Leader stated.

Ayatollah Khamenei said talks with Iran would be possible only if the US returns to a 2015 nuclear deal that it abandoned last year. Under that multilateral accord, Washington had lifted its anti-Iran economic sanctions.

• Enhance air defenses around Saudi cities and oil facilities.
  
• Launch a missile strike at Iranian military facilities.
  
• Launch missiles and airstrikes against a broad range of Iranian targets, including civilian infrastructure.
  
• Conduct an extended air campaign.
  
• “Quarantine” Iran.

ReadyMom wrote:

TRex2 wrote:

BTW: Iran is backed by Russia.
If we go to all out war, they will wreck the US.
By comparison, Iraq was a walk in the park.

   In what way?

rick1 wrote:Saudi Arabia buys 10's of billions of dollars worth of defense from the U.S., I'd like to know why they don't fight their own conflicts?

Anybody have any answers?

TRex2 wrote:

rick1 wrote:Saudi Arabia buys 10's of billions of dollars worth of defense from the U.S., I'd like to know why they don't fight their own conflicts?

Anybody have any answers?

Maybe because they aren't very good at it?

You're a hoot TRex2  

Iran, who has repeatedly denied involvement in the bombings, warned Wednesday that it would "immediately" retaliate against the United States if Tehran is targeted over a crippling weekend attack on Saudi oil facilities.